Hatters boss impressed by Howells return

Mike Simmonds

Hatters boss Nathan Jones has been impressed by the way Jake Howells has raced back from his knee injury to play a part in Luton’s end to the League Two campaign.

The 25-year-old, who is out of contract at Kenilworth Road in the summer, missed seven games after undergoing a minor operation, before returning to the squad and has come off the bench in the closing stages of the last two wins at Oxford United and Carlisle United.

“He raced back though, has come back in and I was pleased he was able to come in and impact for us.”

Nathan Jones

Jones said: “He’s a great character, a great lad and he was unlucky as was in a good vein of form for us.

“He had taken a lot on board and I was pleased with Jake but then he picked up an injury out of nothing.

“He raced back though, has come back in and I was pleased he was able to come in and impact for us.

“It was small periods of time in the game, some people might think that as only a couple of minutes, but it’s still an important part of the game, as he’s come on, shored it up.

“We’ve had one goal leads when he’s come on and we haven’t lost a game. So he’s done his job, I’m pleased for him, but we know we can rely on him as he’s that type of character.”

Meanwhile, Town skipper Scott Cuthbert is firmly in contention to return to the squad for the home clash against Newport County this weekend.

The captain hasn’t played since picking up an injury in the 1-0 defeat to Stevenage as speaking to the press today, Jones said: “Scott’s a lot closer now than he was a week ago. He’s an important player for us, so we’re pleased that we have him back in the fold now.

“The squad is looking good, we’re in good spirits, good form, they all want to play, all want to work hard. We have a couple coming back which is a boost and it’s been a good little period for us.”

However, winger Paddy McCourt will be missing once more, with no timescale placed on his return, as Jones added: “Paddy’s taken a bit longer than usual.

“He’s had one or two family things so we’ve given him time. It’s really important for him to sort out and so on, so we won’t be seeing Paddy but he’s been superb for us, really important for how we do stuff.

“With the injuries coming with one or two family issues which he’s needed to sort out, we’ve given him a little bit of time off which is the right thing to do as it’s important he’s there for that.

“We’ll gauge it, there’s no timescale on it with Paddy. I can’t really say more than that and one because it’s a personal issue and two because it’s a day by day thing anyway.”